Responding to membership, BC Wood has secured a coordinated space at the Gas and Oil Expo to be held June 11-13, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta. BC Wood staff, along with some members, have walked the show in the past and feel it presents a good opportunity for exposure into the fast growing oil sands regions of Alberta, the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana.

About the Gas and Oil Expo

‘We’re a leading biennial event for the North American gas and oil industry. Held in the energy capital of Canada – Calgary, Alberta – the event offers opportunities for brand exposure, business development, education, and networking. Indoor and outdoor exhibits showcase emerging technologies, a diverse range of products and services, and leading expertise. The largest Canadian energy event of 2013, Gas & Oil Expo hosts over 500 exhibiting companies and attracts 20,000 registered attendees.’

BC Wood feels there is an excellent opportunity for companies that manufacture pre-fabricated homes, industrial products such as, rig matting & components, as well as finished products such as, cabinets, flooring, and millwork.

Growth in the oil and gas sector is creating significant opportunities in select regional markets in the western United States. For example, the State of North Dakota is in dire need of additional housing units due to an influx of refinery workers. The state’s population is expected to grow by 25% over the next 15 years. The ten energy development counties where the oil sands are located, are projected to grow by at least 50%. The North Dakota Housing Finance Agency projects household growth at 30% or 80,000 new housing units by 2025.

Given that the show is fast approaching, please contact BC Wood as soon as possible to hold a position at the show as space is limited. Online registration will be available soon.

Date & Location:

Calgary, Alberta
June 11-13, 2013

Registration:

Please contact Scott Thompson at BC Wood for more information and to register: Office: 604-882-7100; Cell: 604-880-0060; E-mail – sthompson@bcwood.com. Please note, a deposit is required to register for the show.

BC Wood took this input and put together a comprehensive package of market development activities. Upcoming activities will focus on expanding market share in the United States while maintaining the hard won presence we have gained in Asian markets and Eastern Europe. Recognizing the possibility of a new and emerging market opportunity in India, BC Wood has scheduled a mission and participation in a trade show in Bangalore in February 2014. The Global Buyers Mission, our 10th, will be a highlight, with over 200 buyers coming to Whistler in early September.

I would like to recognize and thank the staff of BC Wood for the extra effort they put towards writing these funding proposals. The result was that BC Wood has another strong program of approved trade event activities for 2013-2014. For those of you wanting to see the updated list of trade show activities, please visit the BC Wood website at www.bcwood.com and select Trade Events from the Programs & Services tab. Any comments or questions regarding these planned activities can be directed to me at bhawrysh@bcwood.com or by calling our office at 604-882-7100.

June 2013 is expected to be be a busy time for BC Wood with two major trade events that are important to the residential and light commercial construction sectors in the United States. PCBC and AIA National both take place that month and BC Wood, along with member companies will be exhibiting at both key events.

PCBC, a longstanding trade event for the construction sector on the West Coast of the US, takes place in the first week of June. This event draws builders, developers, distributors, and architects from across California and the Western United States. PCBC has traditionally been held in San Francisco, but for the first time in its 50+ year history, has moved to the sunnier climes of Southern California and the city of San Diego.

Show organizers made the difficult decision to move the event for a number of reasons; the primary being the decline in attendance in the San Francisco event since the downturn of 2008. Having the IBS builders event in Las Vegas for the next few years also factored into the equation.

Either way, moving the event to the San Diego market makes good sense. San Diego is one of the stronger markets in California with increasing construction starts in the residential and multi-family sectors. So far, interest and uptake in the event is very good, with the show selling out its original space and having to add floor space to accommodate new exhibitors. BC Wood already has 5 member companies exhibiting and has a small amount of space left. If this is of interest to your company, let us know as soon as possible.

*images from PCBC

AIA National is the American Institute of Architects annual conference and trade event that moves around the country each year. This event annually attracts 25,000 to 30,000 architects, engineers, and builders from both the residential and light commercial construction sectors. The 2013 AIA takes place the 3rd week of June in Denver, Colorado and is expected to be a well attended event. As with PCBC, BC Wood and member companies will have a significant presence at AIA and if you want to reach a target audience of US architects and builders, then this event is a cost effective way of doing so.

Both trade events are important for manufacturers to connect directly with their target audiences. If you are targeting builders, architects, developers, and distributors in the western United States, then you should seriously consider either or both of these events as a part of your companies market development strategy. With improving economic conditions and a stronger than expected construction market being experienced across the US, the time to develop market share is now.

For more info on these events or opportunity in the US, please contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com or give the office a call at 1877 422 9663

This past weekend, Abbotsford was once again home to the 2013 BC Log Home, Timber Frame and Country Living Show. The show exhibited many products and consumer goods, yet none more impressive than what was on display in the BC Wood Pavilion where the Log Home, Timber Frame, and Pre-Fab companies of British Columbia showcased their craftsmanship, innovation, and skill.

Participating members this year included: Artisan Log & Timber Homes, BC Timberframe Co., Big Foot Log Homes, Canadian Timber Frame, Daizen, Hamill Creek Timber Homes, Kettle River Timberworks, Okanagan Timber Frame, Pacific Homes, Sitka Log Homes, and Trout Creek Log Homes.

The LHTF sector stood out among the displays as fully and partially erected log homes towered over the trade event attendees, attracting large crowds and marketing the latest and greatest in timber home joinery, product, and design.

Reports after the 2012 Denver Log Home Show suggested a growing sense that the worst of the 2008 ripple-effects were over and that a general feeling of profitable times were approaching. Fast forward 5 months later to Abbotsford, and it appears as though these sentiments were rightly directed as scores of serious buyers-and less “tire kickers”-lined the event hall to inquire into companies and determine the right builder for them.

A Strong attendance, serious buyers, and quality product added legitimacy to reports of a resilient BC housing sector and a rise in demand from the U.S. This upward trend is a welcomed one.

After speaking with a number of BC Wood Members who participated in the event days after it had finalized, there were reports of sales made, meetings scheduled to go over projects, and a general air of optimism for things to come. It was good to hear of a much busier show than last year, and the word that continues to be passed around is that we are trending towards more black and less red.

For more information, do not hesitate to contact me at sbuchholz@bcwood.com

Once again BC Wood organized the Canadian Pavilion at the Nikkei Newspaper’s construction industry trade show. This year, seven BC Wood members took part covering a variety of products including log & timberframe homes, kitchen cabinets, WRC, mouldings and flooring, as well engineered wood. Our Canada Wood partner, Canada Tsuga, took space with us as usual. We also included a special display on the Canada-Tohoku Reconstruction Project so that show visitors could see the efforts being made by Canada in helping to rebuild after the March 11th, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Having Japan’s most influential newspaper behind the show means that it will always be a well-attended event. The show is only open to industry people and yet attracted 242,353 visitors over four days. This represents a 2.6% increase in attendance over 2012. In total, there were 1,279 exhibitors (for a total of 3,640 booths) representing 13 countries. The show organizers are looking to further build this event by clearly branding it as a “Nikkei Show”. Therefore, from this year, they started using “Nikkei Messe” as the overriding name connecting the various sections such as “Architectural and Construction Materials 2013,” “Japan Shop 2013,” “Lighting Fair 2013,” etc.

Aside from the strong numbers, you could also sense the bullish housing sector in talking with the visitors. While there is a concern of what might happen after next year’s consumption tax increase, many people that I spoke with are now feeling optimistic that the economic recovery will keep housing starts strong past the tax hike. More importantly, participating members reported a good number of business leads and strong sales figures by the end of the show.

During the week, BC Wood also worked with COFI to put on a seminar for the Japanese committee members working on the new CLT JAS code. This is a crucial time in these deliberations as the first draft is expected to be tabled by this spring and the final draft brought into effect by next spring. Therefore, we seized the opportunity to have Colin Chornohus speak to the committee as Structurlam was participating in the Nikkei Show. Colin was able to address their questions about using mixed species such as SPF as well as the types of glue used in Canada and Europe.

All in all, it was a very busy and successful week!

BUILDEX Vancouver, one of Canada’s largest tradeshow/conferences, welcomed over 13,000 design, construction, and real estate management professionals on February 13th and 14th to the Vancouver Convention Centre. Over 600 exhibitors and more than 50 educational seminars were presented to the interior design and architecture professions, property and real estate management, and the construction and renovation sectors.

BC Wood coordinated a centralized area for wood products manufacturers with 15 members joining us from the building and finished products sectors including Structurlam, Sitka Log Homes, Pacific Homes, Cedarland, SilvaPanel, Coulson Manufacturing, Woodtone, Masonite, Kettle River Timberworks, BC Timber Frame, Merit Kitchens, Brisco Manufacturing, Big Foot Log Homes, AWMAC, and Wideplank Flooring. Feedback to date has been very positive with respondents citing renewed optimism in demand for wood based building products.

We were very busy during the show as we met with over 40 architects, designers, and contractors; approximately 20 of which we knew and were afforded the opportunity of renewing relationships. The rest were new connections who we will invite to future BC Wood specifier related activities including the popular lunch & learn sessions.

We met with 12 international buyers looking for BC wood products. In each case, we requested they contact us with detail that we can pass on to our members. To date, 3 have done this.

We also met with companies that were both exhibitors and visitors to the show from the value-added wood industry that are not BC Wood members and used the opportunity to promote various association activities.

BC Wood plans to participate in the next Buildex show being held Feb 18th – 19th, 2014. For more information on this event, contact Scott Thompson at 604-882-7100.

The first few months of the calendar year proved to be extremely busy for the US program with our participation in the IBS show in Las Vegas which was immediately followed by the BIA Hawaii. While I admit there could be worse places to be in January than Vegas and Hawaii, having both events back to back provided a number of logistical and time challenges. The good news is that if you use these events as a barometer of market conditions in the US construction sector, then one could conclude that the market south of the border is finally getting better.

As discussed in the last edition of the Wood Connections, the IBS show has an impressive attendance, topping the 60,000 mark for the first time in five years. The same could be said for the Building Industry Hawaii (BIA Hawaii) trade event. While this regional event is small, interest and participation from the building community from across the Hawaiian Islands was strong. In fact, attendance at this years’ show was 20% higher than last year and up 45% over the past three years. Builders and other buyers who came by the booths were optimistic that market conditions were on the upswing and many were starting projects in the residential and light commercial construction sectors.

The Hawaiian market continues to be a prime location for BC grown softwood species including Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar (WRC), and Yellow Cedar. This was evidenced by a site visit to a new development on the Big Island of Hawaii. This project is a high-end residential development of 40 plus homes anchored by a private beach club and golf course. More impressive than the view was the use of WRC and Douglas Fir in the construction of the residences and commercial buildings. WRC is featured extensively in the project including WRC shingles in the roof, 12’’clear board and baton exterior siding, and VG WRC interior panelling; the project was a showcase for the species. The architect specified WRC in part due to the unique colour and weather resistance properties of the wood. Where structural timbers were needed, Douglas Fir was specified and is prominently featured in the golf club house and beach club buildings. See images below.

This project is expected to last for the next four to six years. There is an opportunity for BC Wood members to supply materials and finished products for this project. In fact, with improving market conditions being experienced across the US construction sector, there remains excellent potential for the BC Industry to develop and grow market share through participation in trade events such as IBS and BIA Hawaii.

For more information on these events or other opportunities in the US market, please feel free to contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com

In January, BC Wood participated with one of its member companies in the BAU fair in Munich, January 14th -19, 2013. While the turnout from BC Wood members was disappointing, the fair itself was probably the best show I have attended in two or three years. The BAU fair, held every two years, is the largest building materials trade event in Europe. Other shows, especially those in Asia, claim larger numbers; however, their numbers are pumped up based on the practice of allowing the general public access to the show. The BAU fair is a strictly trade-only event and this past event attracted over 240,000 visitors to the six day show.

The BAU fair has a strong international draw with over 60,000 of the attendees coming from countries outside Germany and the bordering Western European countries. This year saw strong contingents from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Scandinavia, Turkey, Dubai, and other countries within the Middle East. The BAU fair lived up to its reputation as the “architects fair” with close to 50,000 attendees coming from architectural, planning and, design offices.

The size of the BAU fair is staggering with the 180,000 square meters of occupied exhibition space spread over 14 different exhibition halls that showcased the products and services of 2060 exhibitors. In total, 41 different countries where represented in the BAU exhibition halls. The halls were arranged by product categories. BC Wood was located in the “wood building systems” hall along with another 75-80 exhibitors. This arrangement works well as it tends to concentrate the buyers with a wood interest into two halls, ours and the one next door showcasing wood doors, windows, and flooring systems.

The traffic at the BC Wood booth was busy, many times a crowd two or three deep were in front or our booth waiting to talk to someone. This fact was a little astonishing considering that we did not have a display that was anywhere near as elaborate or as large as some of our neighbors. I think the fact that the Canadian flag was prominent and that we had a cross section from a cedar log home on display helped to pull the buyers in. People felt drawn to come into the booth to touch and smell the cedar. Many people did not even know the name of the species, but they did know that they liked it and the conversations started from there. I also think flying the “maple leaf” was important as our booth attracted a far higher proportion of attendees from outside of Germany. Almost 50% on the visitors to the BC Wood booth were from outside Germany. The vast majority of inquiries we responded to were related directly to Western Red Cedar and log home and timber frame projects. The market for these two product categories remains strong within Western Europe, but, particularly, in the new emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

So, to say that I was impressed with the BAU fair and the level of interest that BC Wood received at the fair would be an understatement. I would urge BC Wood members manufacturing log, timber frame, pre-built homes, and any Western Red Cedar products to seriously consider participating in the BAU fair when it comes around again in January of 2015. For more background and some additional observation on the BAU fair, please do not hesitate to contact me at bhawrysh@bcwood.com.

During the period of April 24-28th, BC Wood will attend the Turkeybuild show in the country’s economic centre, Istanbul. Last year, the Istanbul show drew over 110,000 visitors, many of them from the neighboring Eastern European and Islamic countries. At Turkeybuild, exhibitors can showcase a full range of building materials and systems. High quality specialty lumber and building materials such as WRC decking, siding and roofing, log and timber frame homes, and prefabricated house packages will be of interest to the Turkish lumber importers, architects, and builders.

As always, JC lined up meetings for the attending members with key clients. However, this year he also arranged an opening day reception inside the pavilion in order to create a networking opportunity for members with invited Korean wood industry VIPs. Both the BC Government Office in Seoul and the Canadian Embassy were partners in this event. Over 100 Korean clients attended this event.

BC Wood also organized an architect’s seminar on the day before the show in collaboration with KIA (the Korean Institute of Architects) in order to promote the use of Canadian wood products in commercial building projects and particularly for facilities being built for the Pyungchang Winter Olympic Games. The event was held at the historic Old Seoul Rail Station and was attended by close to 100 KIA members. Attendees were able to learn about the various wood solutions offered by Canada while we were also able to gain access to high-value specifiers and influencers in the Korean architectural community. BC Wood is planning to further develop this target segment by taking part in the KIA Convention this October. Please contact Jim Ivanoff (ivanoff@canadawood.jp ) or JC Lee (lee@canadawood.or.kr ) for more information on this upcoming event.